Hear Lea Michele Sing "Yesterday" and Tear Up

It shocked just about everyone this July when Glee star Cory Monteith died suddenly of a drug overdose in a Vancouver hotel room. It was undoubtedly especially bad for Monteith's loved ones and the cast and crew of Glee, who had to find a way to go on without him. Lea Michele filled both of these roles — as Monteith's longtime girlfriend and as his character's love interest on Glee — and so all eyes have been on her, watching and waiting for a reaction. She gave a really sweet one at the Teen Choice Awards, and now that she's back to work at Glee we get some musical emotions as well — this time courtesy of Michele's beautiful rendition of The Beatles' "Yesterday."

Glee won't tackle the issue of Monteith's death until its third episode of season 5 — at which point the show will do a memorial episode for his character Finn Hudson — but, in the meantime, Glee has two Beatles tribute episodes. The first of these two episodes is called "Love, Love, Love," and features Michele singing melancholy Paul McCartney love song "Yesterday" (which you can listen to over at The Wall Street Journal).

"Yesterday" serves as the opening track on the 14-song album Glee Sings the Beatles, which you can buy Sept. 24 (and pre-order here and preview the other songs here). It also features Darren Criss' rendition of "All You Need is Love," which you can listen to over at Broadway World.

The lyrics to "Yesterday" really hit hard considering Michele and Monteith's relationship. This may very well be the song Michele was referencing when she tweeted, "Couldn't have picked a more beautiful & perfect song to start the year with.."

This certainly seems to have been the song in question. "Why he had to go, I don't know, he wouldn't say"? Oof.